It’s 4 A.M. and I’m laying on the ground of the SJO airport. Last night, Sav, Paige, Lindsey, and I cuddled on our bed and laughed about our favorite memories from the past 3 months.
On Tuesday, the squad left the base that’s been our home, and went into the mountains to spend a few days processing Costa Rica and praying for South Africa. It was a really sweet time for me and Jesus.
Anyway, since I haven’t had much time to think of anything more eloquent than this, here are some of the processing questions we went through, just so you can have a small idea of what the Lord’s been doing in my heart since I left America.
What has been your biggest spiritual challenge on the Race?
Learning to accept the unearned love the Lord has given me, and learning to love my community with that same love.
What is something the Lord has grown you in or taught you during Costa Rica?
He has taught me that my value does not rest in the fruit that I can produce, but has always rested in His unconditional Love for me. That Love was real before I was even born, far before I even had the capacity to do anything of value for the Kingdom.
This is also manifested in the worth that I assign to other people. He has shown me that, just as His Love for me rests not in my actions or level of holiness, His Love for every person on the planet is unconditional and infinitely full of grace and patience. He is not a performance-minded God, so I should not be performance focused either.
How are you carrying that fruit to South Africa?
I am committing to throwing my whole self into the people I encounter. Children and adults, teammates and strangers, I am going to love them with the Love that has been lavished over me. I am done with holding back my true self in order to be what I perceive as a better servant of God, and I am going to fearlessly be the person He has made me to be, letting the passion that has always been within me shine regardless of how I or other people place judgements on it. I will be full of Love and patience and be filled up every day by Him that my grace and love for others and myself be endless.
What expectations did you have coming into Costa Rica? How did they change? What expectations are you leaving behind/ laying down before leaving here?
I expected to grow. I expected to assume a new level of spiritual stature, but I continually disappointed myself in this endeavor, and I was also frustrated at God for not immediately granting my desires that seemed so holy and reasonable. He showed me, though, that my desires were misplaced and that He wanted to do a miracle in my heart before He used me to do anything miraculous. He showed me that, without Love, I am nothing. And this goes in two ways: 1) without His Love and constant grace, nothing I ever do will amount to anything, and 2) without a deep Love abiding in my heart for the people He died to save, I can not have the capacity to do anything life-changing for anyone, and all of my efforts are cold, selfish, and unpleasing to God.
In Costa Rica, I leave behind all of my standards for what I think spiritual growth should/is going to look like within myself and my team. I leave behind my time frames for when I think “results” should be seen in the Kingdom within me and around me. I leave behind control and pride and everything that is not purely Avery Pratho the way that God sees her.
What is the Lord calling you into or asking you to step into before South Africa?
The Lord is incessantly calling me to become a child in the Kingdom of God. He is telling me to be humble, be hungry, be helpless, and above all, to be honest about who I am and where I am. He is saying, let go. “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.”
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This week, I got chosen to be team leader, which basically just means I have a few more responsibilities: initiating team times, communicating with ministry hosts, and a bunch more World Race stuff that holds no significance to normal people. It’s cool though. I am really grateful that I get to serve my team in a new capacity.
My team and I are going to be in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa!!! If you’re wondering why there are 3 exclamation points, look up J-Bay on Google Images. I come ALIVE on the beach, and now it’s my home. It’s also considered to be the surfing capital of the world. I tried not to pee myself when I found out we’d be there.
Honestly, even more than surfing and getting the tan of a lifetime, I am genuinely stoked for what God is going to do over the next 3 months. My team will be alone, just the 8 of us, so we will grow closer to one another, I am taking a break from WiFi (besides blogging) to focus on being present, I am jazzed to meet my new ministry host and move into my new home, and I am ready to step into who God has made me to be. Like I said, I am leaving behind my false self and pressing in to Love like I never have before.
Oh also, something worth mentioning, I am about to be in Canada for a day, and our next layover is 11 hours in Germany. So we get to walk around and explore Toronto and Frankfurt. My life is pretty dope.
Prayer Requests:
- Presentness. Whether it be a travel day or a regular day at ministry, pray that the Lord would give me acute awareness and presentness to love those around me, whether they be strangers or close friends. May I see Him in everything, everywhere, all the time.
- Team Unity. I know I ask this every time, but please just pray that the Lord would bind my team in the Spirit, and that we would show each other grace and encouragement in every season.
- When I was praying for South Africa, I kept receiving the word ‘revival’. I think God wants us to bring that or be a part of that at our ministry, so pray for the spark of revival to be flamed wherever we go.
Thank you for loving me, praying for me, and supporting me. I am incredibly grateful for this season of my life— I’d say it’s the best so far.
